Sorry for the lack of posts over the past several days. We're in upstate New York visiting family for the Christmas holiday, having a good time as you can see above. Those are Jackson's first snowmen by the way.

A few notes from our trip thus far:

• I found a great beer shop just outside of Albany, and picked up several nice brews, including a well-done IPA from a local brewer that was new to me, Brown's Brewing Company in nearby Troy, NY
• We met our friends C and A at Provence for dinner Friday night for what was an up-and-down meal. Some dishes were delicious, others mediocre and the service was downright horrible. It was a reminder at just how important good service is to the dining experience. We did have a nice Oregon pinot from Siduri Winery, however.
• Yesterday, we took a trip to the Schenectady Greenmarket and picked some some delicious baked goods from Our Daily Bread in Chatham, NY and tasted from nice wines from Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY. The 2007 cab franc and malbec are two wines to keep an eye on.
• In coming days I'll be posting reviews and tasting notes on several NY wines that we brought with us as well.

And, keep an eye out for my year-end post where I'll highlight a few of my favorite wines from 2008.

In the meantime, the whole LENNDEVOURS team hopes that you are having a great holiday season and are looking forward to 2009 as much as we are. Cheers!